MARCO Silva felt his side didn’t play to their usual level in their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa at Craven Cottage last weekend.
Ollie Watkins scored either side of half-time to give Unai Emery’s side a 2-0 lead before Rodrigo Muniz pulled one back on 63 minutes.
Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made two saves in injury-time to ensure his side claimed the victory.
“It wasn’t our best performance, particularly in the first half,” Silva said. “The first goal was huge. It gave them confidence and impacted the game, it meant they could control the game in a different way. We knew what we were capable of doing and our plan for the game. Unfortunately, a goal can change everything.
“In the first half, we were not at our level, but there were not many chances for them either. “At the beginning of the second half, we had some dangerous moments. We tried to control the game and play more narrowly in our defensive half.
“We were punished for the second goal. It was really sloppy the way we defended that moment, it was like a punch for ourselves, but after the reaction from the 2-1 [goal] we were like a completely different team. From that moment, only Fulham were on the pitch. We pushed them back, it was our obligation to equalise the game. We had chances but we missed them.”
Fulham travel to Manchester United this Saturday.
